However, the feeding frenzy was short-lived as Ticketmaster quickly halted the sale and canceled all orders, further angering fans who were already frustrated over Live Nation’s failed Phish ticket release last month.

Tickets to the Red Rocks shows weren’t supposed to go on sale until March 26, but eagle-eyed Phans noticed that Ticketmaster had apparently begun selling its allotment of four-day passes early.

Rumors quickly swirled that Phish may have been trying to sidestep scalpers and reward the true fans with a surprise presale. However, Ticketmaster confirmed that the mistake was a routine glitch.

One commenter points out that the Ticketmaster Contract of Service reads "If ... you are able to order a ticket before its scheduled on-sale or presale date or you are able to order a ticket that was not supposed to have been released for sale, then: Ticketmaster will have the right to cancel that ticket" — which is precisely what happened. Almost instantly Phans began receiving e-mails saying their orders had been canceled. (Some of them may not have gotten the message yet: eBay is awash with sellers offering the four-night pass at roughly $2800-$4000 per ticket.)

Fans will now have to try again on March 26 to score tickets to the Red Rocks shows, the band’s first at the venue in nearly 13 years.

And on a some-what related note, don't miss Tony Kuzminski's fantastic piece on how ticket prices and scalping are destroying the last vital segment of the music industry.